On Sat, Jul 5, 2014 at 7:28 PM, JW <[email protected]> wrote: > > My son and I watch it every year. These are the best eaters in the > world... > > If you enjoy watching it, swell. But I find all the (non-live) coverage > annoying. There's no reason why I should know the names of people who eat > hot dogs fast unless I actually want to know. >
I am no shill for ESPN or "competitive eating", but I will say this: While those (like, apparently, JW) who have watched the Hot Dog Eating Contest and decided they don't like it are of course to be respected and left alone,those who simply scorn it without having watched it may be missing a mild enjoyment. The tongue for this event is at least 3/4 of the way in its cheek (there is a hot dog eating joke in there somewhere I suppose); its not professional wrestling, it has more the feel of something between "Best in Show" and "Dodgeball". Of course there are many who have seen both of those and enjoyed neither too; I enjoy all three. Some examples of the commentary (I rely on http://onefoottsunami.com/2014/07/04/the-2014-nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest/ for the wording of some of these), all delivered in a just slightly over-the-top sports-hype tone of voice: - One of the lower-level eaters was described as having once had a verified 16" burp that one judge described as: "both mournful and optimistic" [This was my favorite line of the day] - Joey Chestnut declared himself both "empty and loose" after not having breakfast, and not eating much the day before in preparation for the big event. - Referring to top contender Stonie's eating approach "He’s got this Luis Suarez-type bite, which has no place in the game of football, but it is welcome here at Coney Island." - In reference to another back-bencher: "If you believe in science, than you have to believe processed food is superior to something someone dug out of the dirt. He has spent ten years maintaining a boycott against any healthy food…The closest he has ever been to a goji berry is a Cheeto." - To appeal to the cycling fans in this thread - the commentator noted: "The buns are weighty, they’re like the hills of the Pyrenees for a Tour De France rider." - Anticipating the possibility of a new record: "I am not given to hyperbole, but if this happens, it’d be the greatest achievement in the history of man." - And of course, the classic introduction for Joey Chestnut: "Only moments from her womb, and before she even placed him to her breast, his mother held him close, and whispered in his ear. She said ‘You are of my flesh, but you are not mine own. Fate is your father and you belong to the people, for you shall lead the army of the free.’ And she held him high and the finger of power that destroys the unworthy descended, and it touched him on the forehead, and it anointed him the champion of the world, of now, and of always, of the fourth of July of the nation, of the free, under god!" One of the things I like about it is ESPN making fun of itself, in a less smarmy way than many of their commercials. -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
